Recycling
by Lady Sibi Fidere
Summary: No one expected Arthur to ever reuse something from Eames.


A/N: I don't own Inception, just the story line.

/

"Please!" The architect pled while grabbing the point man's arm.

Arthur stared down at the petite woman before him. "I don't understand why you want to do this. We have the most important job we've ever done, _you're_ first job, in a matter of days and you want to go out drinking?"

"Yes. Everyone is so stressed out. Eames is right. We just need a night away from all of this and then come back recharged."

"You're planning on spending a night out drinking with Eames and you think you are going to come back recharged?"

"Yes, drinking with Eames, not drinking like Eames. I like to wake up with my head not in the toilet."

The point man had to give a smirk at that. "Well regardless, I have a lot of work to do here so I will have to pass."

Arthur started to return to his desk but Ariadne was determined. The man worked too hard. She couldn't remember how many times they left Arthur as the last person in the warehouse at night only to find him the first one there the next morning. It couldn't possibly be good for him to work that hard without a break. Just as well, she had one last trick up her sleeve.

"Fine then, I guess it is just going to be me and Eames."

That got his attention. Halfway to his work station the point man stopped dead in his tracks. Back stiff he turned around to face the young woman. Trying to appear casual, his voice was deceptively calm. "Just the two of you? What about Yusuf?"

"I haven't seen him in hours to ask if he has wanted to go. And Cobb said he had some business things to go over with Saito tonight."

She watched him for a moment clearly mulling over his decision. While at first glance he seemed relaxed, if one were to look close enough his jaw could be seen clenching. Finally he gave her a terse nod of his head.

"Fine. Give me ten minutes to clean up here."

Ariadne had to fight the victorious smirk that threatened to take over her face. She knew that if she played against his sense of chivalry he would give in. As much as Arthur did not want to go with them, she knew it bothered him more to that she would be left alone with Eames. Arthur had made no attempt to hide his disdain over Eames' habits, especially when it came to how the forger could treat women.

So that was why, two hours later found them sharing a table at the local tavern with the chemist. They had crossed Yusuf on the way out and it was easy for Ariadne to convince him to join them as well. They traded inconsequential stories about their pasts, the guys talking about minor jobs they had completed previously and Ariadne telling them about her school life in France.

Yusuf was in the middle of a particularly entertaining story about a job he and Eames worked on together where Eames had to forge himself into a CEO's mistress. The chemist even had Arthur laughing when suddenly Eames leaned in very close to Ariadne's personal space.

"Quick," he said, his eyes darting across the room, "give me a kiss."

The architect reared her head back. "What? No!"

Arthur's voice was hard as he eyed the forger. "Eames, stop harassing her."

"Settle down. I just need to use our dear architect as a distraction." Eames leaned in close to Ariadne's ear. "You see that blond girl in the black shirt there at the bar?"

Indeed Ariadne did see her. The look in the girl's eye was one of pure jealousy when she glanced at the architect. "You mean the woman who looks as if she is plotting my demise?"

"Yes, that would be the one. See, I may have been slightly inebriated the last time I was here."

"Oh, there's a shock," Arthur interrupted.

Eames glared briefly at Arthur but soon turned his attention back to Ariadne. "So the lady may been falsely led to believe that I was going to continue our rendezvous together, which as you know, is slightly counterproductive to our time here."

"And what exactly does this mean to me?" Ariadne asked.

"It means that you would be ever so dear a friend to help me out with this small predicament I find myself in."

Ariadne looked back at the blond who had now risen from her barstool and was making her way over to their table, drink in hand. Without taking her eyes off the woman, Ariadne leaned in close to Eames and said, "Sorry, dear friend, but I think you are on your own for this one."

Eames face was caught between a grimace and a smirk. "Ah well, it was worth a shot." He then stood up, grabbed his drink and intercepted the woman before she could reach their table.

/

Four days later found the point man and the architect on a bench outside a hotel. Ariadne's nerves were running high. Things had gone horribly wrong in the first level and now they were on the second level where it seemed their carefully constructed plan had been thrown out the window for something no one was sure was going to work.

"Quick, give me a kiss," the point man whispered to her.

They immediately leaned in to each other for a gentle kiss. When they pulled away Ariadne turned back to the projections. "They're still watching us."

Arthur gave a small shrug. "It was worth a shot."

Ariadne could do nothing but smile at the recognition of Eames words from a few days ago. And Arthur of all people recycling the forger's lines was almost beyond belief.

But it wouldn't be until after the mission was over that either one of them would turn their mind back to that incident. Only then would they think about the electric feeling that shot through them each at the small kiss. And only then would they think about the fact that Arthur had wanted to kiss her. And only then would they think about how Ariadne had denied Eames so vehemently but so instinctively responded to Arthur's request. And it was only then that they would each think about how much they wanted to do it again.


End file.
